Carpet kicker having means for adjusting shank length

Abstract

A carpet stretcher or kicker operable by engagement with the knee of an operator, the carpet stretcher or handle having a shank, a head with carpet-engaging pins adjustably mounted therein positioned at one end of the shank, and a kicking plate having a padded cover at the other end, the shank being formed of telescoping shank members which may be rotated ninety degrees with respect to each other for disengagement, moved longitudinally with respect to each other to obtain the desired shank length, and then rotated ninety degress with respect to the original relative position to lock the members axially with respect to each other.

Invention is claimed as follows: 
     
       1. A carpet kicker for stretching carpet having a pile and a backing, comprising: (A) A housing formed of an upper housing member and a lower housing member affixed together by fastening means comprising: (1) A head member having a plurality of pins adjustably mounted for engaging said carpet,   (2) A handle member having a plurality of detent members internally positioned therein in fixed relationship to said handle member and spaced apart by detent grooves, and having a plurality of groups of detent depressions, the depressions of each group being in coplanar arrangement and spaced apart 90° circumferentially, each group being spaced axially from adjacent groups, and     (B) An inner shank member arranged to telescope within said handle member and having a padded member mounted at the end thereof for being engaged by the knee of an operator, said inner shank member having at least one cam member in fixed relationship thereto, said cam member being provided with a transverse bore having a helical compression spring mounted therein with a ball bearing at the end of said spring adapted to engage said detent depressions, wherein the handle member portion of said upper housing member and the handle member portion of said lower housing member are each provided with spaced-apart ball bearing guide members each defining a segment of an inner cylindrical surface, the ball bearing guide members of said upper housing member cooperating with the ball bearing guide members of said lower housing member to define inner cylindrical surfaces on which the ball bearing of said cam member travels, and each cylindrical surface having four of said detent depressions for engaging said ball bearings either in the locked operative position or in the unlocked adjustment position, and providing indexing during axial adjustment movement to indicate the positions in which said inner shank member may be rotated to place it in the locked position, said inner shank member being adapted to be placed in at least one rotative position wherein said cam member is disposed within one of said detent grooves and engages the detent surfaces of said detent members to restrain said inner shank member axially, and being adapted to be rotated to another rotative position in which said cam member is free of said detent members and said inner shank member is free to be moved axially to another position with respect to said handle member indexed by said detent depressions, and wherein said inner shank member is adapted to be rotated again to the original rotative position in which said cam member once again engages said detent members and said inner shank member is once again fixed axially with respect to said handle member at a different relative axial position.     
     
     
       2. A carpet kicker according to claim 1, wherein said cam member is provided with a transverse bore having a helical compression spring mounted therein with a ball bearing at each end of said spring adapted to engage said detent depressions. 
     
     
       3. A carpet kicker according to claim 1, having a pair of cam members, said cam members being elongated transversely with respect to said inner shank member.